lobbyist

noun

lob·​by·​ist ˈlä-bē-ist How to pronounce lobbyist (audio)
plural lobbyists
: one who conducts activities aimed at influencing or swaying public officials and especially members of a legislative body on legislation : a person engaged in lobbying public officials
The new rule says that if you were a registered lobbyist in the past two years, you can't work for the administration on any issue you touched. After you leave government, you can't lobby the administration at all.Jacob Weisberg
Because so many lobbyists have past experience on Capitol Hill, they usually have personal ties both to members of congress and to their key staffers, who vet and prioritize the earmark requests.Ken Silverstein

Examples of lobbyist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
So for the clean energy transition, the loudly ticking clock could be a bigger threat than Big Oil lobbyists ever were. Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 17 Oct. 2025 Throughout this legislative session, a total of 917 bills awaited the governor’s verdict, according to longtime lobbyist Chris Micheli. Calmatters, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025 Craig Holman, a government affairs lobbyist at Public Citizen, a progressive think tank, echoed Clark’s view. Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2025 While married, Flora had an affair with a lobbyist. Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 11 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for lobbyist

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of lobbyist was in 1842

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lobbyist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lobbyist. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on lobbyist

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!